Chapter 303

After exchanging a few pleasantries with the person who came to greet him, Shiratori Ninzaburo turned to look for Kankawa Shinryu.

Just then, they saw Han Chuan Shenliu hang up the phone, put his phone into the pocket of his trench coat, and walk towards them.

The receptionist turned around and her expression froze: "Officer Shiratori, is that your colleague?"

Shiratori Ninzaburo was already used to it, and he understood very well that he absolutely could not explain at this time that Kanakawa Shinryu had resigned and was now just an advisor or something like that. His tone was resolute: "Yes, he is one of our elites."

The receptionist hesitated, then said, "...Then please follow me."

The president was absolutely right to have these police officers sneak in discreetly!

Do police academies no longer conduct background checks or political vetting when recruiting?

While riding the elevator, the receptionist earnestly instructed the two police officers: "There are some events being held in the banquet hall. I know you two came for Master Kisaragi, but according to the procedure, there is a segment next that requires Master Kisaragi's presence. The president will be going on stage with Master Kisaragi to introduce his new work, so please wait until that segment is over before making the arrest."

Yes, Master Ruyue is a prisoner, but this banquet is to introduce Master Ruyue's works, and the fact that Master Ruyue is a VIP guest of this banquet has already been publicized. If Master Ruyue disappears before this part is over, the people at the banquet may start discussing why Master Ruyue suddenly disappeared, and the focus of the banquet will immediately shift.

President Tokiwa would absolutely not allow such a problem to occur at his banquet, so even if Master Kisaragi's murder would be on the front page of the newspaper the next day, he had to complete all the necessary procedures tonight and absolutely could not let it affect the banquet of the Tokiwa Group!

This is a very pragmatic idea, but it's normal for a large conglomerate to be so willful.

Shiratori Ninzaburo hesitated for a moment. After all, their main purpose this time was to gather evidence, and the timing of the arrest depended on Samikawa Shinryu. So he turned to look at Samikawa Shinryu.

Han Chuan Shenliu nodded casually.

Shiratori Ninzaburo: "…………"

Han Chuan was too easy to talk to today, and he was a little scared.

The receptionist breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that this person, who seemed difficult to talk to, would be dissatisfied, but the person turned out to be completely different from the impression he gave.

Then, as the elevator doors opened, the receptionist heard that chilling voice, like ice hitting ice, say something.

"Although your president will probably be dead by the time that part is over, we don't mind if you insist, we can wait."

The receptionist was taken aback: "...???"

Is this for real? Is this a threat? Is the police handling cases so simple and brutal these days?

For a fleeting moment, he even wondered if he might have picked up the wrong person, bringing in a prisoner who he mistook for a police officer!

He heard that the person who killed the former engineer might come and clean up the company's servers...

Oh no, has he become a collaborator?! Are we going to silence him next?!

In an instant, a series of terrifying stories, some logical and some illogical, played out in the host's mind, and within seconds he broke out in a cold sweat.

Unlike the receptionist's suspicion, Shiratori Ninzaburo's expression immediately collapsed upon hearing Samikawa Shinryu's words: "Huh? President Tokiwa was also his murder target?!"

Hanchuan Shenliu said calmly, "I've already said it, the prisoner hates the people who built these twin skyscrapers. Even the councilor who helped out has died. Of course, President Tokiwa, who led this project, wouldn't let him go."

Shiratori Ninzaburo: "..."

It seems that the prisoner did give a reason for committing the murder, but the reason was too outrageous for him to understand, so he couldn't apply it to his own experience and inadvertently overlooked some possibilities.

Thinking about it now, if the culprit really thought like that, then Tokiwa Mio was indeed in great danger!

Having known Shinryu Samikawa for so many years, it's been enough for Shiratori Ninzaburo to develop a conditioned reflex—that is—

—Regardless of whether you can understand what Hanchuan Shenliu is saying, just take it seriously for now!

Immediately, Shiratori Ninzaburo turned to the receptionist and said, "Where is President Tokiwa?! We need to see President Tokiwa now!"

The receptionist was still imagining strange things and wondering whether to call the police again, but after listening to the conversation between the two and seeing Shiratori Ninzaburo's attitude, he was finally able to connect with reality.

So the person receiving the call quickly took out their phone to call President Tokiwa while walking briskly forward.

Perhaps because he would need to stand on the stage himself for many parts of the banquet tonight, and because the dress couldn't be designed with a pocket for a cell phone, President Tokiwa silenced his phone and handed it to his secretary to avoid being disturbed by the ringing.

Inspector Megure couldn't get through to Mio Tokiwa by phone at the time; he had to call her secretary to get through.

The secretary also took the time to relay Inspector Megure's words to Tokiwa Mio. After listening, Tokiwa Mio's only thought was that nothing should affect the success of the banquet, and everything else should be put on hold.

She never considered that she would become Master Ruyue's target. She felt that she was her teacher's disciple and had always respected her. Her teacher killed her partner, probably because of some personal grudge. She was still very good to her and even gave her a necklace to congratulate her. Today, she also came to help support her!

The person receiving the call could roughly guess what was going on, so now that he couldn't get through to the phone no matter what he tried, not even to his secretary, he was sweating profusely. He had been maintaining his etiquette by not running in the corridor, but now he couldn't help but start running.

Han Chuan Shenliu's voice sounded behind him: "Are you going to disrupt the banquet?"

The receptionist was frantic, practically on the verge of collapse: "Is the process more important or your life?! Of course, we have to save the president!!!"

Can he take back what he just said?! He was wrong, he misspoke! The two policemen can arrest people however they want, he has no demands, he just hopes no one dies at the banquet!!!

The receptionist led Kanakawa Shinryu and Shiratori Ninzaburo into the backstage area.

The president's secretary looked at him in surprise: "Wait, weren't we told to wait until this part was over?"

The receptionist wiped his brow: "They said Master Kisaragi might make a move against the president!"

The president's secretary got angry: "It's just a possibility! Can you take responsibility for ruining the president's banquet? — Uh."

Upon seeing Han Chuan Shenliu enter right behind the receptionist, the president's secretary was speechless, as if someone had grabbed her by the throat.

She could only watch helplessly as the young man in the long trench coat walked up to her and operated the elevator control panel she had just pressed.

The president's secretary mustered her courage to say something, but after being glanced at by those dark red eyes, she shut her mouth.

But I couldn't help but wonder—was this really a police officer?!

Could it be a yakuza member sent by a rival to sabotage this banquet?!

Shiratori Ninzaburo watched Hanakawa Shinryu's actions with some confusion, but he knew the principle of not making trouble if you don't understand, so he turned his head to look for Master Kisaragi.

However, the operating room was alright. Once the heavy curtain on the stage was drawn and the lights were turned off, even if there was still a little light on the ground, it was still almost impossible to see anything.

Just as Shiratori Ninzaburo was wondering what to do if the timing of his interruption was wrong and President Tokiwa complained that they had disturbed the banquet, he suddenly heard a thud from the stage.

"...?" Shiratori Ninzaburo was a little confused, hesitating whether to go that way. What if the curtain opened and he stood on the platform, which would make President Tokiwa even angrier? Just then, he heard President Tokiwa's cries for help coming from that direction.

"Help...help me..."

It's no exaggeration to say that Tokiwa Mio was so scared she almost wet her pants.

Just now, as she stood on the stage waiting for the curtain to open, she suddenly felt a tightness around her neck. With the sound of the elevator behind her starting, her necklace inexplicably got caught and, within seconds, became lodged in her throat, preventing her from making a sound or breathing.

I was thinking the necklace might break soon, but despite her fierce struggle, it remained intact, and there was no sign of it breaking even as she was suspended in mid-air.

Just when Mio Tokiwa thought she was going to die, the elevator descended again and put her down.

She was oxygen-deprived for several seconds, and for a moment she was only focused on breathing. Only after she recovered did she remember to call for help.

Shiratori Ninzaburo rushed over to check on her. Hearing Tokiwa Mio's weak voice and rapid heartbeat, he immediately shouted towards the control panel, "Turn on the lights!"

This is really bad!

The lights in the banquet hall suddenly turned on.

Because President Tokiwa's shouts were too weak, even those near the stage couldn't hear them. Only those backstage, whose noise was blocked by the curtain, could hear a little bit. So when the lights came on, everyone was puzzled as they looked at the curtain that hadn't opened yet.

The host was also bewildered. "I haven't even explained when we needed to turn on the lights yet! What's going on?!"

Amidst the clamor of discussion, Conan Edogawa was the first to realize something was wrong, rushing onto the stage and disappearing behind the curtain.

As soon as he entered, he saw the back of Hanchuan Shenliu standing in front of him, and in front of him was President Tokiwa lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance.

Hearing the noise, Hanchuan Shenliu turned his head and glanced at him. His indifferent and cold eyes instantly reminded Edogawa Conan of Gin.

Conan Edogawa's pupils suddenly contracted.

These days, Conan Edogawa has been thinking about the Black Organization—the first time he came to this building, he saw Gin's car parked downstairs.

Therefore, he immediately suspected that the organization might have designs on the building, or on any person or thing inside it.

The subsequent murders further fueled his suspicions about the organization's involvement, whether they had achieved their goals, and whether there would be further developments...

While Conan Edogawa was preoccupied with whether the Black Organization would come, a murder case suddenly occurred, and Shinryu Saikawa was actually present. Coupled with Ai Haibara's previous statement that Shinryu Saikawa was a suspected member of the organization, it was really difficult for him to control himself from having any impure thoughts.

However, Conan Edogawa quickly realized that since Shinryu Hashikawa hadn't left even with the lights on, he must be feeling confident and there might be a misunderstanding.

The thought of the word "misunderstanding" suddenly calmed Conan Edogawa's mind.

Sigh, I don't know why, but whenever he encounters Han Chuan Shenliu, there are so many misunderstandings, and he's actually gotten a little used to it.

Meanwhile, Kogoro Mouri and Ran Mouri followed Conan Edogawa into the curtained area.

Upon seeing this scene, Kogoro Mouri's expression immediately changed: "Tokiwa!"

Shiratori Ninzaburo quickly said, "Call a doctor! She's still alive!"

The receptionist stared at the scene in a daze, shock overshadowing fear, and couldn't help but speak to Han Chuan Shenliu: "Just as you said, they actually chose this time to strike!"

Before Han Chuan Shenliu could say anything, the president's secretary, looking completely bewildered, blurted out, "Huh? How did he know when to make his move?"

In an instant, everyone turned to look at Han Chuan Shenliu.

Han Chuan Shenliu said expressionlessly, "Because if it were me, I would choose this time."

Everyone: "…………"

In a daze, Shiratori Ninzaburo remembered that when he was at the Metropolitan Police Department, he had asked Kagawa Shinryu to keep a low profile this time.

Ah, thinking about it carefully, Hanchuan Shenliu was indeed very low-key this time, but it's no use if the victim isn't low-key!

Fortunately, the police saved President Tokiwa's life. Given the choice between the success of the banquet and his own life, the president would probably choose to live!

As for the rest...

Shiratori Ninzaburo: "Kankawa, don't say anything yet, Inspector Megure is on his way..."

—Anyway, call in reinforcements first! Inspector Megure said he'd take responsibility!!!